Thanks for all of the great information. I checked out the flash drive and although I found it would be useful to me, the rest of our group may have trouble.

We have decided to go ahead and purchase the laptop and am now in the process of drafting usage agreements and confirming asset insurance.

The computer will be kept with the treasurer but accessible to the pres, vp and sec.

Thanks again

One sugeestion I have is to purchase a usb flash drive with the U3 platform on it. This will allow several differnt people to access the same programs and documents from the flash drive and not install anything on your personal computer. www.u3.com has several mobile office suties such as 'ThinkFree Office' which is Microsoft Office compatable allowing you to create all PTO related documants and presentations in the same format and keep it on the flash drive. I suggest an officer (probably the President) to back up the flash drive on their personal pc to have a back up copy. There is virus protection that runs on the flsh drive itself to protect it from viruses and corruption. I think the same person in charge of backing it up should complete weekly virus updates and scans. The flash drive is very small (fits on a keychain!), extermely durable and can withstand A LOT of abuse more than a laptop. Maybe you could have a sign out sheet for the PTO members to use it and set a time limit for days allowd to keep it and set a fee to charge for dammaged or lost device.
I suggest checking out www.u3.com for more information. I think this could be useful and less costly. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Thanks!
Jennifer

Personally I wouldnt buy the PTA/PTO a laptop unless you have a place like a dedicated parent center to store it.

Any Sony Vaio with WinXP and MS Office 2003 would be my recommendations, Love Vaio, dislike MS and prices- but I get great edu discounts and its almost better than the rest (Linux/Unix rocks)
Dont know if $600 bucks will cut it and that not even adding in Quickbooks cost.

As for PTO Manager/Finance, love the application, its a good program for your needs; but I personally dislike the interface and not thrilled by the price (sorry Tim)

PS.. Just saw there was a new version.. just updated my email (moved to new town) so maybe just maybe.. my opinionmight change :cool:

[ 05-22-2006, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Shawn ]

We've never considered the PTO computer idea, but my gut tells me, don't do it. In my mind, the risks and hassles far outweigh the anticipated benefit. Risks: loss, damage, software or data corruption. Who is responsible for software installation, upgrades, and virus protection? Who pays for the internet service? Where would it be kept that it is always secure? Whose printer is involved? Can the laptop "owner" use it for her own personal use, too? Who provides technical support?

If you haven't already, I suggest your board really think about why your group wants its own laptop. Maybe it's because a volunteer is willing to do a certain job next year, but doesn't have computer access. Or is it because your school won't let you use their computers? Is it because your PTO hasn't put its financials on a computer before and this seems like the most convenient way to get started? Is it so the secretary can take minutes on the spot at meetings? All these reasons have some merit, but don't justify the expenditure in my opinion. I'm curious exactly why your PTO is considering this.

You can reimburse a whole lot of volunteers for their printer cartridges and paper for $600. And better yet, you can pay for a whole year of PTO Manager (see Tim's comments above) and still have loads of money in your pocket.

I haven't heard of many groups going that direction, owning a group laptop. Interesting. will it be housed in a PTO office at school (with Internet access)? Or other?

RE: Quickbooks. Before you buy/install/set-up on that for your finances (and especially since you have budget for this kind of thing), may I strongly recommend you review our Finance Manager software?

www.ptomanager.com

Key differences between Quickne (or Quickbooks) and Finance Manager:

1. Manager is all online/ASP. Means that: 1) different users (only those you allow) can look in at any time from any web-connected computer. Treasurer can work on books from home, from school, from work or anywhere without lugging around a laptop or installing software on multiple computers and carrying disks. At same time, officers can get look-in access to see current balance and even print reports for meeting that Treasurer can't make.

2. Designed just for parent groups. Exact reports that parent groups need, formatted for parent group needs. Just the functions you need without the 98 other functions (do you need to withold taxes or depreciate your building?) that get in the way.

3. No software upkeep or loading or getting right version on multiple computers. Because it's online, all back-ups are automatic and secure and all improvements happen seamlessly in the background. Every time you log on, you're on the latest version of the program.

4. Ease of transition and history. New treasurer just gets new password and off she (he?) goes.... No need to make sure new treasurer has same form of Quicken and no need to export all files to disk for carrying over to Mary's house. Plus over time, all leaders will be able to look back at a complete financial history/ What did we net from that wrap sale in 05? Look it up.

OK.... off my soapbox.

Tim

My first suggestion is to get a Dell. You can do everything from their website, including add the programs you want. If you look in there outlet section you ca find reduced price items that have been returned or discontinued but still work perfectly.
Secondly, I would keep it at the school. I don't know how many things of ours were loaned out and not returned or returned broken. This may not be resonable for what you want it for but if someone suddenly moved and you lost your $600 piece of equipement or if their child accidentally knocked it off the table, where would you be?